In the beginning, joy is the goal. In the process, joy is the tool. We often treat movement work as a cycle of endless seriousness and burnout—but what if joy is actually a requirement for survival? In this episode, we’re reclaiming our right to feel good and redefining what joy looks like in the wake of trauma.

We’re challenging the idea that advocacy must be devoid of light and exploring why joy is an imperative, radical part of the healing journey.

Inside the Conversation:

• Joy as a Resource: Shifting from seeing joy as a "reward" to using it as a practical tool for healing.

• The Radical Pivot: Challenging the "culture of depletion" in advocacy and movement work.

• Defining Your Light: What does joy actually look like in practice, and how do we make space for it?

We are joined by Sarah Walters, former Resource and Outreach Coordinator at National Sexual Violence Resource Center, to discuss how we can center joy as a form of resistance and restoration.

When sexual violence is weaponized for control, the wounds reach across generations. In this episode, we explore how historical trauma from war-related atrocities manifests in our bodies and relationships today. We’re moving beyond the battlefield to discuss how advocates can support deep, generational healing.

Inside the Conversation:

• The Legacy of Trauma: How historical wounds shape communities long after a conflict ends.

• The Body’s Memory: How war-related trauma impacts physical health and modern relationships.

• Culturally Rooted Healing: The vital role of grassroots organizations in navigating complex political and social contexts.

We are joined by Helen Perry—Global Health Expert, Nurse Practitioner, and Veteran—to discuss building a path toward collective restoration and empowerment.

When bodily autonomy is denied, the harm of sexual violence is amplified. In this episode, we tackle the critical intersection of reproductive freedom and survivor advocacy. For survivors in marginalized and culturally specific communities, the lack of reproductive choice isn't just a policy issue—it’s a direct compounding of the trauma they already face.

We’re diving into what it means to provide truly "culturally grounded" responses and the vital role advocates play in reclaiming survivor-centered care.

Inside the Conversation:

• The Compounding Effect: How the loss of bodily autonomy deepens the impact of sexual violence.

• Culturally Grounded Care: Moving beyond "one-size-fits-all" to provide reproductive health support that honors a survivor's heritage.

• The Advocate’s Role: Navigating the intersections of health, justice, and healing.

We are joined by Morgan Hawes, Data, Grants, and Knowledge Coordinator for the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition, to discuss how we build a future where every survivor has the right to their own body.

Is your program evolving, or just rearranging the furniture? True growth requires a "brave departure" from the status quo. In this episode, we confront a hard truth: many survivors aren't getting the care they deserve because we’re too attached to "the way we’ve always done it."

Enhancing services in dual or multiservice programs requires more than small adjustments—it requires radical, honest, and often uncomfortable self-assessment. We’re discussing the power of saying, “We don’t know what we don’t know,” and the courage it takes to accept feedback in the areas where we thought we were already excelling.

Inside the Conversation:

• The "Tweak" Trap: Why incremental changes aren't enough to fix systemic service gaps.

• Radical Humility: Cultivating an organizational culture that values feedback over ego.

• The Brave Audit: How to lead a critical self-assessment that leads to actual transformation.

We are joined by Valerie Williams, Executive Director of Hope Shores, to discuss what it looks like to lead an organization through the fire of honest change.

If our advocacy isn't intersectional, who are we leaving behind? When we ground our work in equity and empowerment, we’re better equipped for the complex realities survivors face. But moving from theory to practice requires a radical shift: centering survivors as the absolute experts of their own lives.

In this episode, we unpack how overlapping identities shape lived experiences and why our support services must be as multi-faceted as the people we serve. It’s not just about being responsive; it’s about being effective.

Inside the Conversation:

• The Expert in the Room: Why centering the survivor’s voice is the ultimate tool for designing compassionate services.

• Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Recognizing how experiences, cultures, and identity overlap to shape a survivor's path to healing.

• Equity in Action: What "empowerment principles" actually look like in day-to-day advocacy.

We are honored to welcome Ingrid Anderson, Former Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, to discuss building a movement that leaves no one in the shadows.

Is your team truly prepared, or just "trained"? In this episode, we unpack SADI Lesson #6: why general advocacy isn't enough. To truly serve survivors, programs must prioritize in-depth, ongoing, sexual assault-specific training that lives at the intersection of anti-oppression and trauma-informed care. We’re moving beyond the "basics" to explore how we actually prepare teams for the multi-faceted needs of survivors.

Inside the conversation:

• The Framework: How to move past the checklist and integrate trauma-informed and anti-oppression lenses into every lesson.

• The Skill Set: Prioritizing advocacy based on active listening, building rapport, and radical collaboration.

• The Gap: What types of training exist, and—more importantly—what is currently missing?

We are honored to be joined by Dr. Noor Jones Bey—educator, artist, and Director of the National Resource Center at Mujeres Latinas en Acción—to discuss how we can better equip our movements to lead with empathy and empowerment.

The quality of care we offer survivors is only as strong as the people providing it. In the demanding world of sexual assault advocacy, staff well-being is often treated as a luxury. But according to Sadi Lesson #5, it’s a necessity: "Programs must attend to the well-being of their staff and of the organization as a whole." When we treat wellness as an afterthought, we risk the very services we strive to provide.

Today, we welcome back Karla Vierthaler, Advocacy and Resources Director at RESPECT TOGETHER, to discuss why organizational health is the backbone of effective advocacy and how to stop "pushing through" at the cost of our teams.

Welcome back to Rooted in Healing, a trauma-informed podcast for sexual assault advocates. This season, we're diving deeper. We're exploring the complexities of burnout, the power of self-care, and the importance of finding joy amidst the challenging work we do.